We Tried Our Best-ish

We tried.
Kind of.
There was effort.
You just had to squint to see it.

Like that time we meal prepped
exactly once,
made 14 identical quinoa jars,
then ordered pizza
because the quinoa tasted like damp sadness.

Or when we committed to "budgeting"
by downloading an app,
naming our categories,
and then crying in Sephora
four days later.

We tried meditation.
For three minutes.
I achieved inner peace
just long enough to remember
I forgot to reply to that email from January.

We tried becoming even more morning people.
Set alarms.
Laid out gym clothes.
Woke up furious at Future Us
for being so optimistic.
Snoozed 5 times.
Never wore the leggings.

We tried communication.
I said, “I’m fine.”
You said, “Okay.”
Both of us knew
we were lying.
But at least it was polite.

We tried minimalism
until the seasonal throw pillows
went on sale.

We tried to be chill.
To let things go.
To not spiral about that weird look
someone gave us in 2011.
We failed.
But we tried.

We tried to read the terms and conditions.
(We didn’t.)
We tried being productive on a Sunday.
(Also no.)
We tried walking past the bakery
without stopping.
(Okay now you’re just being rude.)

We tried.

Not our best.
But like…
our best-ish.
Which, honestly,
is still better than nothing.

And that
has to count for something.